Taft climate

Taft Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Welder Wildlife Foundation, 15.1 km from Taft, elevation 50 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Welder Wildlife Foundation. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around February 24 and the first fall freeze around December 1, a growing season of about 283 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 8, first November 18
Median at 32°F
last February 24, first December 1
Median at 28°F
last January 31, first December 18

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMar 31Mar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 14
32°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10Jan 31Jan 18
28°FMar 5Feb 27Feb 19Feb 9Jan 31Jan 24Jan 14Jan 3Dec 24
24°FFeb 24Feb 7Jan 31Jan 22Jan 12Jan 4Dec 29Dec 23Dec 12
20°FFeb 12Jan 30Jan 16Jan 7Jan 3Dec 31Dec 27Dec 19Dec 13
16°F–––––––––

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 9
32°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20Jan 1
28°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 18Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9Jan 24
24°FDec 3Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 20Feb 3
20°FDec 7Dec 14Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 18Feb 8
16°F–––––––––

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F287276268262256250244236226
32°F324310301291283276269261252
28°F365353341332323315306295279
24°F365365365365363354342332316
20°F365365365365365365365365353
16°F365365365365365365365365365

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
90% of years
24°F or colder
55% of years
20°F or colder
20% of years
16°F or colder
2% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
1,129
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,148
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,158
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,366
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,635
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,002
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,496

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January33516200
February20933268
March11090453
April27183606
May2364828
June0498948
July05641,029
August05841,049
September0441891
October23257700
November13486415
December28932248

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 15.1 km from Taft. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00419559 (Welder Wildlife Foundation). Public domain.